Lifelong Learning @ UNB
UNB College of Extended Learning

When it comes to measuring employee retention, attrition and turnover are two of the most essential metrics to monitor.

A low attrition rate signals a healthy company. Fewer employees are leaving voluntarily, keeping morale higher and preserving institutional knowledge. A high attrition rate, however, can be a warning sign that problems are driving your staff away. According to experts, healthy organizations have an attrition rate of 10% or less.

According to a recent report by the Boston Consulting Group (BCG), which surveyed 28,000 employees across 16 countries, psychologically safe workplaces have attrition rates as low as 3%.

The report also stated that leaders play an essential role in creating and supporting psychological safety at work. In a public statement, Nadjia Yousif, chief diversity officer at BCG and a co-author of the report, stated that "psychological safety can flourish only if it's driven from the top".

When leaders successfully create psychological safety at work, retention rates increase by:

• 4x for women and employees who identify as Black, Indigenous, or people of color (BIPOC);
• 5x for people with disabilities; and
• 6x for LGBTQ+ employees.

NOTE: This is in comparison to an increase of 2x for men not in those groups.

This means that improving psychological safety drives positive outcomes for all employees, especially diverse employee groups. Psychological safe leadership is the equalizer that brings employees of all backgrounds up to the same high-water mark of happiness at work—and erases the attrition gap.

Creating a psychologically safe workplace

UNB's Certificate in Psychologically Safe Leadership (CPSL), created by Dr. Bill Howatt, is a self-paced, online program that includes three specialized courses. The program has been designed to equip leaders with the skills and knowledge necessary to identify and reduce mental risk and harm in the workplace.

If taking the entire program isn't possible right now, you can also take just one course:

• Psychologically Safe Workplaces (IWH 1000)
• Becoming a Psychologically Safe Leader (IWH 1001)
• Promoting a Psychologically Safe Workplace (IWH 1002)

Learn more about UNB's fully online CPSL program (go.unb.ca/cpsl). You can also contact us at customerservice@unb.ca if you have questions.